GURPS Fantasy Combat
Martial Arts Civilians carried fencing weapons while soldiers used firearms and polearms, and armor grew heavier in response. The rapier was for the street and private grievances; halberd, pike, and two-handed sword dominated melees in the affairs of kings. Most civilians and others who seek “self-defense” or dueling arts will study fencing styles. Osan Sword Arts Azayakana Nami-ryū Azayakana Nami-ryū (or Azayakana Nami school) is the name of a legendary organization of samurai that reside in the mountains of Osa. The organization practises a style of ancient kenjutsu developed to allow a single samurai to defeat numerous demons single-handedly. Practitioners are characterised as traditional Osan swordsmen in dark green and white hakuma, wielding swords made out of a rare white wood. Azayakana Nami-ryū requires tremendous skill and speed, so much so that there are few practitioners dedicated enough to master the art. Category:GURPS Category:Combat Styles Janlyni Fencing Styles d'Azul Dueling Style d'Azul was among the first to recognize that military and civilian swordfighting were distinctly different. As such it developed a method of dueling and satisfying the demands of honor. The stances and techniques of the d'Azul style drew heavily from mathematics and science, and duelist studied geometry and natural philosophy in addition to the sword. The ideal d'Azul duelist remained cool and detached, projecting dignity and grace. He avoided excessive motion and “vulgarity” in form or technique in favor of efficient, geometry-based movements. He learned to watch his opponent and “read” his stance in order to respond at the best moment. The d'Azul duelist also maintained blade-to-blade contact as much as possible in order to sense his adversary’s intent from his blade. Lucem Dueling Style The Lucem Dueling style involves the rapier, buckler, and unarmed strikes and grapples, and emphasized speed and mobility. duelists face their foe squarely with both rapier and buckler, to keep him at arm’s length. They use the rapier aggressively to slash and thrust, the buckler to ward off blows and make shield bashes. Bucklers occasionally had sharp edges for slashing, too. A duelist who couldn't bring his rapier and buckler into play would attempt kicks, punches, grapples, and takedowns. Rapier-and-buckler fighters tended to fight defensively, using the Defensive Attack and Attack maneuvers until the enemy was at a disadvantage, then moving in with strong armed or unarmed attacks. Lyons Dueling Style Its masters taught that the sword alone was the basis of both offense and defense, and did away with defensive weapons such as the cloak and main-gauche. A duelist of this style usually starts the fight on the defensive. He favors Evaluate and Wait until he parries and creates an opening, and then opens his own offensive with a Counterattack. Deceptive Attacks are common, typically in the form of a glide along the opponent’s blade. However, the duelist might also attempt extremely aggressive attacks, such as an All-Out Attack (Long) ending in a crouch – a floor lunge – to attack a distant foe, or a two-step Committed Attack (Determined) to press an adversary who’s giving ground. This style gave equal weight to elegance of execution and effectiveness of technique, and some masters taught methods that were more artistic than practical. Nedorian Dueling Style The main weapon was the rapier, with a knife, a cloak, or occasionally a second rapier held in the off hand. The Nedorian style emphasized counterattacks in “one time,” meaning a combination defense/riposte instead of a parry-and-counterattack rhythm. This strategy sacrificed some defensive surety for a chance to strike back. Duelists of this school make extensive use of the Riposte, and follow up this gambit with an Attack or even a Committed Attack, but only rarely with a Defensive Attack. Nedorian duelists seek to counter the foe quickly, forgoing some defense for a good offense. Defensively, Nedorian fencers are more likely to dodge, or to parry with a secondary weapon, than to parry with their main blade while pressing the attack. Hand-to-hand styles Hamag Hamag is a Scarab martial art with unknown origins. All of its practitioners show a degree of refined brutality that’s disturbing at best. Some can even perform vicious feats beyond the capabilities of any ordinary man. Fortunately, few have the dedication to take their studies that far; most practitioners are mundane fighters. Only the truly remarkable master the full intricacies of Hamag. Hamag is a highly aggressive style. Practitioners always attempt to seize and hold the initiative, and Defensive Attack is unheard of. The few “defensive” moves the style does teach start with Aggressive Parry and follow up with attacks on the injured limb. Stylists use every dirty trick to disorient, damage, and destroy the enemy, and target the eyes, skull, neck, groin, and vitals in preference to all other locations. A fallen victim invites a Stamp Kick or five – the stylist using All-Out Attack (Strong) or (Determined) - if his prey has no allies nearby. Way of the Lotus Martial artists are warriors who hone their bodies into deadly weapons, but some eschew violence in favor of a more peaceful philosophy. While a practitioner of the way of the lotus realizes that combat cannot always be avoided—and is more than capable in a fight—he understands that all creatures are connected, and to harm another is to harm the self. Instead, he strives to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts, and in doing so, hopes to achieve inner peace. Its goals are spiritual development and finding inner harmony, but it has also become popular for self-defense. an internal art based on qigong breathing techniques, chi flow, and balance. The practitioner creates a “root,” or point of balance, and uses this to launch and resist attacks. Punches often employ the palm or a loose fist; stylists use the Hammer Fist technique extensively. Kicks are generally low-line and regularly accompanied by a fake strike to distract – a Deceptive Attack.. Way of the Mountain The practitioner of the way of the mountain finds strength and power in the earth beneath his feet. Rather than spinning though the battlefield with the fluid motion of the river, he roots himself to the ground, as immovable and unshakable as the stones of the mountain. The way of the mountain is a southern Osan style, and emphasizes firm stances, close-in tactics, low-line kicks, and high-line punches. It teaches fighters to use bothhands equally and to keep their balance on slippery planks and rocking boats. Students study deep breathing and remain in deep stances for long periods of time in order to learn to hold firm against a foe. Stylists prefer to use Aggressive Parry to ward off attacks, and then follow immediately with a Counterattack. This counter is very strong and often a Committed Attack or even an All-Out Attack. The style’s teachings consider evasion less important than the ability to withstand attacks and counter them in place. Polearm Styles Naginatajutsu Naginatajutsu is a Osan polearm-fighting style for use with the naginata (a sword blade mounted on a staff) or nagamaki (which has more equal blade-to-haft proportions). The naginata was a battlefield weapon, and schools dedicated to it Naginatajutsu is an offensive style. The weapon has a length advantage over most others and lends itself to swift, wheeling motions, so practitioners seek to eliminate the foe quickly. Stylists use feints to draw out the opponent and attacks to the legs and body to disable or kill him. Historically, the leg was such a popular target that warriors wore heavy shin armor specifically to counter naginata cuts! Fullextension lunges that exploit the naginata’s length are very common; treat such an attack as an All-Out Attack (Long). Fighters also use long-range swings. Other training includes butt strikes, both to targets in front and behind; techniques for disarming foes and retaining the naginata in the face of similar disarms; and sweeps with the end of the pole. Naginata schools teach staff forms as well as polearm skills, for use in the event that the naginata’s blade breaks off. Some train using a naginata that has a sharp cap on the butt, which allows the weapon to serve as a spear in extremis or after a feint with the blade. Others teach the knife or shortsword as a backup weapon. Ranged Combat For the last twenty five years or so, firearms have slowly displaced the bow as the dominant battlefield weapon. Firearms Musketeer The term "musket" is applied to a variety of weapons, including the long, heavy guns with matchlock, wheel lock or flint lock and loose powder fired with the gun barrel resting on a stand. Pistols and other one-handed firearms are often easy to conceal and faster to load than other firearms, and do sufficient damage for most situations. But some gunslingers want a little more firepower and range. These are the musketeers; the best of these gunslingers can reload a musket with dazzling speed, potentially putting even their pistol-wielding brethren to shame. Pistolier While most gunslingers have favorite firearms, there are those rare ones who choose to specialize in onehanded firearms exclusively. These gunslingers are called pistoliers. While they lack the f lexibility of being able to pick up any kind of firearm and use it with reasonable proficiency, they are crackerjack shots with pistols and similar firearms. Their skill and aim with these firearms at close range is second to none, and they rarely misfire with these weapons. Muscle-Powered Archery Historically, infantry as well as cavalry were archers. Tactics relied more on ambush and massed fire than on aim, but bowmen shot targets for sport and practice – especially in Lucem. Melee Weapon skills were important for close defense and to finish off foes. Some Archerys might focus on aim, learning Targeted Attacks and special skills for engaging concealed or distant targets. Archery served as much to demoralize as to kill, and bowmen were known for their battle cries Kyujutsu Kyujutsu is the Osan art of the bow, or yumi (typically the dai-kyu, or composite bow). It’s primarily a combat style. Since arrows weren’t terribly effective against armor, samurai learned to aim for the face, which was only rarely protected by a mask. Samurai also practiced shooting at a full gallop. Category:GURPS Category:Combat Styles